such an amazing story of loving like Jesus loves...
click here to read a great article, or watch the interview below:
Every time I have read an article about this, or watched one of the many interviews with the coach, I get teary; such an awesome awesome thing.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
My Take...Take 2
On American Idol Final 36 - Round 2
Jasmine Murray (Love Song) - hmmm.....not so sure about her. Oh dear, pretty pitchy there at the beginning. Looks really comfortable tho. Ok...I kinda like her? I totally agree with the judges on this one. I have really liked that Paula doesn't feel like she has to be the "nice one" anymore. The judges nailed it on this one. It was just ok.
Matt Giraud (viva la vida) so the dueling piano guy. Oooo I remember liking him a lot from the Hollywood weeks. Trying his hand at a Cold Play....hmmmm. He's got a funky vibrato...not sure it fits this song. Don't like all the runs he's added to it. I don't think it was as bad as they are saying. I like him, but this song didn't work for him.
Janine Vailes(This Love) oh dear. way pitchy. And she's off beat. yikes. pain-ful. Why do they insist on singing songs recorded by the opposite sex? Don't they know how hard that is? And who cares about her legs????? I hate it when they critique -good or bad- their physical appearance. It's a singing competition, not a beauty contest. No no!! No talking back to the judges. And we don't care how old you are.
what is up with tonight? These first 3 are just bad, bad, bad. And where are the supportive parents back in the red room this week?
Norman/Nick Mithcell (Living without You) The Hubs predicts he's gonna come out and blow it all out of the park. Who will we see tonight? Yikes. Sorry Hubs. ok. this is just weird. It's making me uncomfortable. I really would love to see what he could really do without all the schtick. I think he has a nice voice. Seriously tho...why is he even in the top 36???
Allison Iraheta (Alone) uffdah. She's gonna take on Heart. So young for such gigantic song. Ohhh I like. Very pleasantly surprised. Edgy and raspy voice. Confident. I like it. Certainly the first one tonight with any potential or chance to move on as long as she has something more to give us than the rocker-chick thing. But I like her.
Kris Allen (Man in the Mirror) Yikes another Michael Jackson song. Weren't they listening last week when they said to never try do a MJ song? Why why why? Well now. This isn't bad. Kinda reminds me of David Archuletta. Kinda safe in a gutsy way. He's definitely one of the better ones...altho still had a few pitchy notes in there. I wouldn't say he nailed it, but it wasn't bad.
Megan Joy Corkrey (Put Your Records On) huh. interesting. She looks a little uncomfortable, but I like her sound. I think. I'm not sure what she's goign for tho. Her stage presence is weird. She keeps shaking her chest. And she was kinda shouty at the end. Huh. Me and Simon thinking alike tonight. She is definitely different.
Matt Breitzke (If You Could Only See) ooo the other "blue collar" dude. A nice family guy. Let's see how he does. Hmmmm... I like him. I like his voice but he seems "too nice" to pull off the rocker thing tho. Not sure he's Top 12 material. maybe?
Jesse Langseth (Bette David Eyes) Interesting song choice!!! Well now. This has potential. The middle part is weak tho. It didn't go where it should or could have. Fell kinda flat for me. Nope. sorry. Just didn't cut it for me, I agree with Randy that it just wasn't spectacular. And she is too talky, borderline arrogant.
Kai Kalama (What becomes of the broken hearted) huh. I dunno about him. He's got a good look (kinda a bit like Sayid from Lost) but really don't like this song. Liked the ending tho. Agree with it being old-fashioned. Don't think he'll make it thru.
Mishavonna Henson (Drops of Jupiter) Hmmmmm....she's got a little Joss Stone/Natasha Bedingfield thing going on. Kinda like her. Definitely one of the better girls of the night. Parts of it were a little off. I liked it. Only 18? She does seem older. I think I disagree with the judges on this one.
Adam Lambert (Satisfaction) Let's see how he does. I liked him from past weeks. A true performer. Not sure how I feel about the winks, Elvis lip snarls and lip licking. And I'm not sure how "current" he is. He'd do great in a Journey tribute band. I'd need to hear him singing some Maroon 5 or Cold Play. He's really great, but it's all just a little bit too much "show" for me. And I am a musical theatre major. Altho, he is by far, technically the BEST on the show so far. His vocal technique is flawless. I like him.
My picks? Adam, Allison for sure. Not sure who the 3rd one will be. I liked Mishavonna ...not sure who else. It's a toss up.
Jasmine Murray (Love Song) - hmmm.....not so sure about her. Oh dear, pretty pitchy there at the beginning. Looks really comfortable tho. Ok...I kinda like her? I totally agree with the judges on this one. I have really liked that Paula doesn't feel like she has to be the "nice one" anymore. The judges nailed it on this one. It was just ok.
Matt Giraud (viva la vida) so the dueling piano guy. Oooo I remember liking him a lot from the Hollywood weeks. Trying his hand at a Cold Play....hmmmm. He's got a funky vibrato...not sure it fits this song. Don't like all the runs he's added to it. I don't think it was as bad as they are saying. I like him, but this song didn't work for him.
Janine Vailes(This Love) oh dear. way pitchy. And she's off beat. yikes. pain-ful. Why do they insist on singing songs recorded by the opposite sex? Don't they know how hard that is? And who cares about her legs????? I hate it when they critique -good or bad- their physical appearance. It's a singing competition, not a beauty contest. No no!! No talking back to the judges. And we don't care how old you are.
what is up with tonight? These first 3 are just bad, bad, bad. And where are the supportive parents back in the red room this week?
Norman/Nick Mithcell (Living without You) The Hubs predicts he's gonna come out and blow it all out of the park. Who will we see tonight? Yikes. Sorry Hubs. ok. this is just weird. It's making me uncomfortable. I really would love to see what he could really do without all the schtick. I think he has a nice voice. Seriously tho...why is he even in the top 36???
Allison Iraheta (Alone) uffdah. She's gonna take on Heart. So young for such gigantic song. Ohhh I like. Very pleasantly surprised. Edgy and raspy voice. Confident. I like it. Certainly the first one tonight with any potential or chance to move on as long as she has something more to give us than the rocker-chick thing. But I like her.
Kris Allen (Man in the Mirror) Yikes another Michael Jackson song. Weren't they listening last week when they said to never try do a MJ song? Why why why? Well now. This isn't bad. Kinda reminds me of David Archuletta. Kinda safe in a gutsy way. He's definitely one of the better ones...altho still had a few pitchy notes in there. I wouldn't say he nailed it, but it wasn't bad.
Megan Joy Corkrey (Put Your Records On) huh. interesting. She looks a little uncomfortable, but I like her sound. I think. I'm not sure what she's goign for tho. Her stage presence is weird. She keeps shaking her chest. And she was kinda shouty at the end. Huh. Me and Simon thinking alike tonight. She is definitely different.
Matt Breitzke (If You Could Only See) ooo the other "blue collar" dude. A nice family guy. Let's see how he does. Hmmmm... I like him. I like his voice but he seems "too nice" to pull off the rocker thing tho. Not sure he's Top 12 material. maybe?
Jesse Langseth (Bette David Eyes) Interesting song choice!!! Well now. This has potential. The middle part is weak tho. It didn't go where it should or could have. Fell kinda flat for me. Nope. sorry. Just didn't cut it for me, I agree with Randy that it just wasn't spectacular. And she is too talky, borderline arrogant.
Kai Kalama (What becomes of the broken hearted) huh. I dunno about him. He's got a good look (kinda a bit like Sayid from Lost) but really don't like this song. Liked the ending tho. Agree with it being old-fashioned. Don't think he'll make it thru.
Mishavonna Henson (Drops of Jupiter) Hmmmmm....she's got a little Joss Stone/Natasha Bedingfield thing going on. Kinda like her. Definitely one of the better girls of the night. Parts of it were a little off. I liked it. Only 18? She does seem older. I think I disagree with the judges on this one.
Adam Lambert (Satisfaction) Let's see how he does. I liked him from past weeks. A true performer. Not sure how I feel about the winks, Elvis lip snarls and lip licking. And I'm not sure how "current" he is. He'd do great in a Journey tribute band. I'd need to hear him singing some Maroon 5 or Cold Play. He's really great, but it's all just a little bit too much "show" for me. And I am a musical theatre major. Altho, he is by far, technically the BEST on the show so far. His vocal technique is flawless. I like him.
My picks? Adam, Allison for sure. Not sure who the 3rd one will be. I liked Mishavonna ...not sure who else. It's a toss up.
Monday, February 23, 2009
A little piece of heaven....
right here on earth. Take a look at this....This people, is what heaven will be like. Or at least what will hopefully be served in heaven everyday. It's THAT good. And the picture doesn't really do it justice.
Saturday night, The Hubs and I had a date night, with 7 other couples from my MOMs (mother of multiples) group. We met up at Olive Garden for an evening of good food and fun conversation.
Now I am not a huge Italian food person. It's not my favorite genre. But we were looking forward to a night out nonetheless. Drinks were ordered, soups and salads and breadsticks arrived. The Hubs and I split my favorite dish, the Steak Gorganzola (YUM-O!)
And then dessert came around and the night was complete. Heaven.on.earth. (it tasted esp good with the pomegranate margarita!) Smooth, creamy, oh so perfectly chocolaty.
And I am telling you about it now, because I brought a little portion of that bit o' heaven home, and was able to enjoy it again tonight. Dee-lish.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Let's Party....
as in The Pajama Party.
Tonight was the girlies' birthday party. I know. You're thinking "wasn't their birthday like...5 weeks ago?" Why yes, yes it was. But this was the first weekend that didn't already have something planned (and the first one I was able to get the invites sent out with the appropriate amount of notice. ahem.)
So the theme was a "Sleepover" ....without the sleepover. They had been talking about wanting to do a sleepover for several months prior to their birthday and I almost gave in to the full blown deal, but just couldn't embrace all that it would require of me (like waking up early on a Saturday to make breakfast for a houseful of little girls....ummmm....no. I covet my Saturday morning sleeping in way too much.)
So then I read this most wonderful idea over at Musings of a Housewife. She threw her daughter this kind of "non slumbering" pajama party and I knew it was the answer for us as well. Thanks DCRmom!! I was able to convince my own girls that this would be a most fun party and they were on board.
The girls each got to invite 4 friends - making a total of 10! I just might be a little crazy. (I can share my theories of throwing parties for twins another time) So, invites went out. Just a simple Word Doc with some cute clip art. The guests were instructed to come in their coziest PJs, bring their pillow, a cozy blanket and their favorite stuffed toy. Guests began arriving at 5pm. 3 of 4 invitees ended up coming for each girl. We painted their nails, they danced to a Hannah Montana concert video. They enjoyed an easy peazy dinner of pizza and fresh fruit. For crafts/take homes, they each got to decorate a plain, white pillowcase with fabric markers and decorated cute picture frames using kits I found in the Dollar Spot at Target (love that place). They played with our collection of dress-up clothes for a bit. Gifts were opened, they played with gifts, we ate cupcakes and ice cream, and then they settled in with their pillows and blankets for a short movie until it was time for parent pick-up at 9pm. 4 hours flew by!! I had a couple of cute games planned but we never even got around to them.
Fun was had by all; the overall cost didn't break the bank, I loved watching the girls all hang out and be silly and play together, and the best part is the Momma is not totally stressed out! Success!
Here's are a few of my favorite successful birthday secrets:
1) have The Hubs take siblings out for their own fun, and hire one of your favorite teenage babysitters to come help you out. The extra set of eyes, ears, and hands is the key to success for me. I've done this for several of our children's "friends" parties and it's truly a lifesaver.
2) www.birthdayexpress.com you can order complete themed party supplies, so easy and relatively inexpensive compared to what you'd pay to buy items individually at your local party store.
3) www.birthdaypartyideas.com This site is made of up of submissions of regular folks' own party ideas, tried and true. It's an awesome place to search for games, food, and decor ideas for just about any themed party you can imagine.
4) Don't get stressed out about sticking to a super strict agenda. Have a loose schedule to help guide you, try to plan at least 1 more game/activity than you think you'll need, but be prepared to just chuck it all and to let the kids just spend time together and play.
Anyway, I hope you had a fun party Wren and Jules! You have such nice friends and it was a delight to throw this party for you. Love ya girlies!
Tonight was the girlies' birthday party. I know. You're thinking "wasn't their birthday like...5 weeks ago?" Why yes, yes it was. But this was the first weekend that didn't already have something planned (and the first one I was able to get the invites sent out with the appropriate amount of notice. ahem.)
So the theme was a "Sleepover" ....without the sleepover. They had been talking about wanting to do a sleepover for several months prior to their birthday and I almost gave in to the full blown deal, but just couldn't embrace all that it would require of me (like waking up early on a Saturday to make breakfast for a houseful of little girls....ummmm....no. I covet my Saturday morning sleeping in way too much.)
So then I read this most wonderful idea over at Musings of a Housewife. She threw her daughter this kind of "non slumbering" pajama party and I knew it was the answer for us as well. Thanks DCRmom!! I was able to convince my own girls that this would be a most fun party and they were on board.
The girls each got to invite 4 friends - making a total of 10! I just might be a little crazy. (I can share my theories of throwing parties for twins another time) So, invites went out. Just a simple Word Doc with some cute clip art. The guests were instructed to come in their coziest PJs, bring their pillow, a cozy blanket and their favorite stuffed toy. Guests began arriving at 5pm. 3 of 4 invitees ended up coming for each girl. We painted their nails, they danced to a Hannah Montana concert video. They enjoyed an easy peazy dinner of pizza and fresh fruit. For crafts/take homes, they each got to decorate a plain, white pillowcase with fabric markers and decorated cute picture frames using kits I found in the Dollar Spot at Target (love that place). They played with our collection of dress-up clothes for a bit. Gifts were opened, they played with gifts, we ate cupcakes and ice cream, and then they settled in with their pillows and blankets for a short movie until it was time for parent pick-up at 9pm. 4 hours flew by!! I had a couple of cute games planned but we never even got around to them.
Fun was had by all; the overall cost didn't break the bank, I loved watching the girls all hang out and be silly and play together, and the best part is the Momma is not totally stressed out! Success!
Here's are a few of my favorite successful birthday secrets:
1) have The Hubs take siblings out for their own fun, and hire one of your favorite teenage babysitters to come help you out. The extra set of eyes, ears, and hands is the key to success for me. I've done this for several of our children's "friends" parties and it's truly a lifesaver.
2) www.birthdayexpress.com you can order complete themed party supplies, so easy and relatively inexpensive compared to what you'd pay to buy items individually at your local party store.
3) www.birthdaypartyideas.com This site is made of up of submissions of regular folks' own party ideas, tried and true. It's an awesome place to search for games, food, and decor ideas for just about any themed party you can imagine.
4) Don't get stressed out about sticking to a super strict agenda. Have a loose schedule to help guide you, try to plan at least 1 more game/activity than you think you'll need, but be prepared to just chuck it all and to let the kids just spend time together and play.
Anyway, I hope you had a fun party Wren and Jules! You have such nice friends and it was a delight to throw this party for you. Love ya girlies!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
right on...
did I call that one or what!?! Woot! Alexis, Michael and.......who's the 3rd spot gonna go to? Gotta be Danny.
I love, love, LOVE Alexis. She is definitely a front-runner for me. She is so believable and comfortable in her own skin up there. pure awesome-ness.
I like Michael too, but don't think he can win the whole thing. But happy he's in the Top 12.
AHHHHH!!!! Tatiana is such a drama queen. Please please please not her. It's down to Danny and Tatiana. Lord have mercy on us all if America picked drama queen over Danny.
Whoo hoo! Danny boy is in and freaky drama girl is out. Her 15 minutes are done.
Relief.
I love, love, LOVE Alexis. She is definitely a front-runner for me. She is so believable and comfortable in her own skin up there. pure awesome-ness.
I like Michael too, but don't think he can win the whole thing. But happy he's in the Top 12.
AHHHHH!!!! Tatiana is such a drama queen. Please please please not her. It's down to Danny and Tatiana. Lord have mercy on us all if America picked drama queen over Danny.
Whoo hoo! Danny boy is in and freaky drama girl is out. Her 15 minutes are done.
Relief.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
My take...
on American Idol Final 36 - Round 1
I love these first few nights of elimination as we whittle things down to the Top 12. It's fun to see who's really got the chops, singing with the full band and back-ups singers. Out there on live TV. It's the true test. So, here's a play by play, as I watch, of what I think of this first set of 12...
Jackie Tohn (A Little Less Conversation) How about a little less spandex? And a little less jumpin’ around. What was she thinking?? I really (REALLY) didn’t like her outfit. Love her sound tho. A little Janis goin' on. Needs to re-think her style and stage presence tho. Please.
Ricky Braddy - (what was the name of his song?) Like it. Great voice...needs some coaching on his stage presence. A little forgettable, but very nice.
Alexis Grace (Never Loved A Man) — 2 words. LOVE HER! Loved her outfit, love her touch of pink, love her voice. Classy. She worked it out. An early favorite.
Brent Keith (Hick Town) - Totally forgettable , very Karaoke-ish. And he talked back to Simon. Big no no. Have you never watched this show?
Stevie Wright (You Belong With Me) - OUCH!!!!!! This was painful. Judges are not going to be very nice to her. Yikes that was harsh. Unfortunately I totally agree with every single judge.
Anoop Desai (Angel of Mine) - Yikes. A guy singing a girl’s song. Hate that. Bad choice right off the bat. Again, very forgettable. Except for maybe all the bad notes and forced runs. Come on people what is up with the songs choices? Unfortunately, I think Anoop Dog is out of the house. Props to him for acknowledging the band tho!
Casey Carlson ( Every Little Thing She Does is Magic) - Interesting song choice…hmmmm. I like her – plus she’s a “hometown” girl. Ok…now that she’s opened her mouth…not so much. NO NO NO! What is she going for? Reggae? R&B? Pop rock? It’s weird. She’s stiff. Weird facial expressions. And I just don’t get it…it was all wrong.
Michael Sarver (I Don’t Wanna Be) - Ah the roughneck. Excited about him. Hope he does well. Darn it all. Why would he pick this song?? Doesn’t he know no one could ever touch Bo’s stellar version of this? That’s too bad. I liked him - but it was all the wrong song. Maybe, he's likable enough to pull thru.
Ann Marie Boscovich (Natural Woman) - Yikes. Risky song. Let’s see how she does. Hmmmmm….rough. Such a huge song, and she just didn’t pull it off. I don’t get what she was going for. Seemed pageant-y. Rough Rough Rough. And now she’s talking back and kissing up. Hate that.
Stephen Fowler (Rock with Me) Hmmm. It seems like he’s just under the beat? Another rough one. At least he didn’t forget the lyrics this time. Yikes…a key change. Oh well. Not good my friend.
Tatiana Del Toro (Saving All My Love) Well if you saw my facebook status last Tuesday night, you’ll know how much I detest this girl. ACCKKKK! She’s picked a Whitney song? Puh-leaze. I hope she goes home this round. Turn it off! Turn it off. Wow…do I hope she’s going home. And have to disagree with Randy – no moments, unless you’re counting all the bad ones. I don’t get it. Why are they saying anything good about her? Kudos to Simon for calling it like it is. I just don't get her.
Danny Gokey (Hero) Ooo…I like him so much. Such an awesome back story. I hope he does well. Interesting song choice. Yay!!! He’s doing it. I love his roughness…with a real tender side. Very authentic and natural. I got goosebumps on his last note. YAY DANNY!!!
Quote of the night? “I don’t get who you are as an artist”. Overall, definitely some stand outs tonight. My picks out of this group? Danny and Alexis for sure. Michael, or Ricky, maybe?
Anyone else notice the fuzzy math? Ryan said the top three vote getters from this group will go on to the Top 12….but there are only 3 groups of 12 (3x12=36) so if we take the top 3 from three groups, that only makes 9. I know my math skills leave much to be desired, but where will the other 3 come to create the Top 12? I hope Ryan explains more tomorrow night
(author's note: I can't promise I'll do this for every show of this season...but this was fun!!)
I love these first few nights of elimination as we whittle things down to the Top 12. It's fun to see who's really got the chops, singing with the full band and back-ups singers. Out there on live TV. It's the true test. So, here's a play by play, as I watch, of what I think of this first set of 12...
Jackie Tohn (A Little Less Conversation) How about a little less spandex? And a little less jumpin’ around. What was she thinking?? I really (REALLY) didn’t like her outfit. Love her sound tho. A little Janis goin' on. Needs to re-think her style and stage presence tho. Please.
Ricky Braddy - (what was the name of his song?) Like it. Great voice...needs some coaching on his stage presence. A little forgettable, but very nice.
Alexis Grace (Never Loved A Man) — 2 words. LOVE HER! Loved her outfit, love her touch of pink, love her voice. Classy. She worked it out. An early favorite.
Brent Keith (Hick Town) - Totally forgettable , very Karaoke-ish. And he talked back to Simon. Big no no. Have you never watched this show?
Stevie Wright (You Belong With Me) - OUCH!!!!!! This was painful. Judges are not going to be very nice to her. Yikes that was harsh. Unfortunately I totally agree with every single judge.
Anoop Desai (Angel of Mine) - Yikes. A guy singing a girl’s song. Hate that. Bad choice right off the bat. Again, very forgettable. Except for maybe all the bad notes and forced runs. Come on people what is up with the songs choices? Unfortunately, I think Anoop Dog is out of the house. Props to him for acknowledging the band tho!
Casey Carlson ( Every Little Thing She Does is Magic) - Interesting song choice…hmmmm. I like her – plus she’s a “hometown” girl. Ok…now that she’s opened her mouth…not so much. NO NO NO! What is she going for? Reggae? R&B? Pop rock? It’s weird. She’s stiff. Weird facial expressions. And I just don’t get it…it was all wrong.
Michael Sarver (I Don’t Wanna Be) - Ah the roughneck. Excited about him. Hope he does well. Darn it all. Why would he pick this song?? Doesn’t he know no one could ever touch Bo’s stellar version of this? That’s too bad. I liked him - but it was all the wrong song. Maybe, he's likable enough to pull thru.
Ann Marie Boscovich (Natural Woman) - Yikes. Risky song. Let’s see how she does. Hmmmmm….rough. Such a huge song, and she just didn’t pull it off. I don’t get what she was going for. Seemed pageant-y. Rough Rough Rough. And now she’s talking back and kissing up. Hate that.
Stephen Fowler (Rock with Me) Hmmm. It seems like he’s just under the beat? Another rough one. At least he didn’t forget the lyrics this time. Yikes…a key change. Oh well. Not good my friend.
Tatiana Del Toro (Saving All My Love) Well if you saw my facebook status last Tuesday night, you’ll know how much I detest this girl. ACCKKKK! She’s picked a Whitney song? Puh-leaze. I hope she goes home this round. Turn it off! Turn it off. Wow…do I hope she’s going home. And have to disagree with Randy – no moments, unless you’re counting all the bad ones. I don’t get it. Why are they saying anything good about her? Kudos to Simon for calling it like it is. I just don't get her.
Danny Gokey (Hero) Ooo…I like him so much. Such an awesome back story. I hope he does well. Interesting song choice. Yay!!! He’s doing it. I love his roughness…with a real tender side. Very authentic and natural. I got goosebumps on his last note. YAY DANNY!!!
Quote of the night? “I don’t get who you are as an artist”. Overall, definitely some stand outs tonight. My picks out of this group? Danny and Alexis for sure. Michael, or Ricky, maybe?
Anyone else notice the fuzzy math? Ryan said the top three vote getters from this group will go on to the Top 12….but there are only 3 groups of 12 (3x12=36) so if we take the top 3 from three groups, that only makes 9. I know my math skills leave much to be desired, but where will the other 3 come to create the Top 12? I hope Ryan explains more tomorrow night
(author's note: I can't promise I'll do this for every show of this season...but this was fun!!)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Love...
isn't love til you give it away. That's what our Sunday message was on today.
Our current message series at church is called "Reply". It follows a series called "Text" that was a 3 part series in learning about how wonderful the bible is...that's it's God's way of directly speaking to us. I learned things I didn't know. Lots of things. Unfortunately, reading God's Word is currently not a top-of-the-list priority in my life right now. (Working to change that).
ANYWAY!
So, for this series "Reply", we are hitting on the things we are called to do, as a way of replying to God's text. First week was "Prayer" (obvious), last week was "Morph" (changing to become the person God's called us to be) and this week was "Love". It really was a perfect message for the weekend of Valentine's.
Here are the things we touched on about how to show love:
Words - say it. Tell someone you love them - how important they are - what they mean to you.
Actions - do something to show a person you love them. Serve them, care for them, forgive them.
Gifts - duh.
Touch - a hug, a pat on the back, a shoulder rub.
Time - giving someone the gift of your time. Time with God, time with family, time with friends.
Sacrifice - all of these things require sacrifice. Love always requires sacrifice.
Love is choosing the highest good for another, even if it involves sacrifice. Love isn't a feeling, it's doing.
Looking over this list, I realize I have done a pretty rotten job of making sure those people in my life know that I love them. My husband...he knows. My children...they know. My immediate/extended family? Pretty sure they know too. But the rest of the of them, who I count among those that I love and care about? Have I told them? Have I showed them? Have I gifted them? Have I spent time with them? Have I hugged them? Have I made any sacrifices? Not so much.
Uffdah. This is gonna take some doing.
Our current message series at church is called "Reply". It follows a series called "Text" that was a 3 part series in learning about how wonderful the bible is...that's it's God's way of directly speaking to us. I learned things I didn't know. Lots of things. Unfortunately, reading God's Word is currently not a top-of-the-list priority in my life right now. (Working to change that).
ANYWAY!
So, for this series "Reply", we are hitting on the things we are called to do, as a way of replying to God's text. First week was "Prayer" (obvious), last week was "Morph" (changing to become the person God's called us to be) and this week was "Love". It really was a perfect message for the weekend of Valentine's.
Here are the things we touched on about how to show love:
Words - say it. Tell someone you love them - how important they are - what they mean to you.
Actions - do something to show a person you love them. Serve them, care for them, forgive them.
Gifts - duh.
Touch - a hug, a pat on the back, a shoulder rub.
Time - giving someone the gift of your time. Time with God, time with family, time with friends.
Sacrifice - all of these things require sacrifice. Love always requires sacrifice.
Love is choosing the highest good for another, even if it involves sacrifice. Love isn't a feeling, it's doing.
Looking over this list, I realize I have done a pretty rotten job of making sure those people in my life know that I love them. My husband...he knows. My children...they know. My immediate/extended family? Pretty sure they know too. But the rest of the of them, who I count among those that I love and care about? Have I told them? Have I showed them? Have I gifted them? Have I spent time with them? Have I hugged them? Have I made any sacrifices? Not so much.
Uffdah. This is gonna take some doing.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
longing...
to be home. I want to stay home. I am a stay-at-home mom after all.
I used to fill up my evenings with things to do and places to go because I was home all day with the kids. So after a long day of being "mom", I would often turn things over to the dad and attend a meeting, an outing, etc. It usually involved something with church or my MOMs group, and it made me feel important and needed and helped me keep some semblance of identity outside of being "just a mom". On the flip side of that, I also recall feeling guilty for not being one of those moms who filled her children's days with outings and errands and playdates. We stayed home. We played, we napped, we probably watched way too much TV and we just stayed home. It's what we did.
Surprisingly, this change of being a SAH who was never home didn't occur until last year, when three of my four children were in school full-time and the 4th started pre-school. Suddenly I had this freedom to run kid free errands, treat myself to lunch at Panera, and volunteer at their schools. And I stopped being home. I still had three days when Jaxon and I pretty much stayed put, but that's when it started.
And now this year, I am a full blown SAH who is NEVER home. I am lucky if I get one morning a week where Jack and I don't need to be somewhere. The weird part of it is, I don't feel that busy. Of course it's my own fault, and it has lots to do with the logistics and efficiency of my desire to not spend all day in the car getting Jaxon to school and such. But I am just not home. And I miss it.
And then here's the really ironic part of it all. When I actually do have the opportunity to be home now, even if I get a whole day, I really don't do anything there. I just want to be. I am so worn out from all my running, the last thing I want to do is "do" stuff at home. I want to be relaxed, quiet, dorking around on my computer, playing Wii with Jaxon (my favorite). Planning a meal perhaps. I don't clean the way I'd like, I don't organize the disaster otherwise known as my office the way I'd like, I don't purge closets the way I'd like. I just relish in the fact that I am home and enjoy being, not doing. And that makes me sad. I have all these ideas for our home. Decorating ideas I so desperately want to try, closets that need to be organized, stuff to purge, shelves to re-arrange, pictures to print, frame and hang. I want to begin to create the home I've have been envisioning and dreaming of - cozy and comfortable, with pretty, meaningful things that make me happy, a place to welcome our friends and feel good in.
But to do any of that, I just gotta figure out a way to be home.
I used to fill up my evenings with things to do and places to go because I was home all day with the kids. So after a long day of being "mom", I would often turn things over to the dad and attend a meeting, an outing, etc. It usually involved something with church or my MOMs group, and it made me feel important and needed and helped me keep some semblance of identity outside of being "just a mom". On the flip side of that, I also recall feeling guilty for not being one of those moms who filled her children's days with outings and errands and playdates. We stayed home. We played, we napped, we probably watched way too much TV and we just stayed home. It's what we did.
Surprisingly, this change of being a SAH who was never home didn't occur until last year, when three of my four children were in school full-time and the 4th started pre-school. Suddenly I had this freedom to run kid free errands, treat myself to lunch at Panera, and volunteer at their schools. And I stopped being home. I still had three days when Jaxon and I pretty much stayed put, but that's when it started.
And now this year, I am a full blown SAH who is NEVER home. I am lucky if I get one morning a week where Jack and I don't need to be somewhere. The weird part of it is, I don't feel that busy. Of course it's my own fault, and it has lots to do with the logistics and efficiency of my desire to not spend all day in the car getting Jaxon to school and such. But I am just not home. And I miss it.
And then here's the really ironic part of it all. When I actually do have the opportunity to be home now, even if I get a whole day, I really don't do anything there. I just want to be. I am so worn out from all my running, the last thing I want to do is "do" stuff at home. I want to be relaxed, quiet, dorking around on my computer, playing Wii with Jaxon (my favorite). Planning a meal perhaps. I don't clean the way I'd like, I don't organize the disaster otherwise known as my office the way I'd like, I don't purge closets the way I'd like. I just relish in the fact that I am home and enjoy being, not doing. And that makes me sad. I have all these ideas for our home. Decorating ideas I so desperately want to try, closets that need to be organized, stuff to purge, shelves to re-arrange, pictures to print, frame and hang. I want to begin to create the home I've have been envisioning and dreaming of - cozy and comfortable, with pretty, meaningful things that make me happy, a place to welcome our friends and feel good in.
But to do any of that, I just gotta figure out a way to be home.
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